Scottish Executive

Care Commission

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what responsibility it had for the distribution of the Care Commission’s user guide to their complaints procedure; how many copies of the guide were issued in the current year; where the guide can be accessed; how it is monitoring take-up of the guide, and what plans it has to publicise the complaints procedure and the help line.

Mr Tom McCabe: Operation of the Care Commission’s complaints procedure is a matter for the Commission. The current complaints procedure has the consent of Scottish Ministers as required by the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001.

Care Commission

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what further procedures are available to a complainer if a complainant is not upheld by the Care Commission in whole or in part.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Care Commission’s complaints procedure allows complainants to confirm whether they accept the Care Commission’s provisional conclusions and if not, to express any concerns to the Commission. The Commission will address these concerns before issuing a final decision. If they remain dissatisfied complainants can then seek a review of that decision. The Care Commission’s head of policy and development or the director of operations will either review the decision or ask the Care Commission Review Committee to do so.

  If the complaint is ultimately not upheld either wholly or partly by the Care Commission the complainant has recourse to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, who can investigate any action taken by or on behalf of the Commission in the exercise of its administrative functions.

Charity Law

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the consultation on the draft bill on charity law reform.

Ms Margaret Curran: On 5 December 2003, in response to a question from Jackie Baillie MSP, I published my strategy for consultation during the drafting of the charity bill. The strategy set out three core elements, including: the establishment of a bill reference group; a range of specialist consultation meetings looking at particular aspects of the bill; and wider information-sharing activities.

  The bill reference group has now met five times. It is continuing to examine and debate the key issues of policy for the proposed bill. Additionally, the bill team has now held 29 separate meetings with a range of identified stakeholders to discuss and refine technical aspects of the bill. Officials are continuing to meet with charity sector networks and professional bodies to ensure the draft bill fully meets the aim of creating an effective, proportionate regulatory framework for charities.

  Monthly updates on progress, and background information including details of the consultation meetings, are available to all on the charity law pages of the Scottish Executive website at:

   http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/UNASS/UNASS/00015300/page1193351391.aspx

  The draft bill will be published for formal consultation in the spring.

Council Tax

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost is of administering the council tax system.

Mr Andy Kerr: In 2001-02 local authority net revenue expenditure on council tax collection, council tax administration and council tax valuation was £29.5 million, £10.2 million and £7.0 million respectively. In total, this represents 2.8% of income from council tax.

Dentistry

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5644 by Mr Tom McCabe on 4 February 2004, how many (a) dentistry graduates and (b) applicants to dental schools there were in each year from 1990 to 2000.

Mr Tom McCabe: In response to how many (a) dentistry graduates, this information is not available prior to 1995 and is as follows:

  Dentistry Graduates

  

 Year
 Number


 1995
 110


 1996
 117


 1997
 123


 1998
 111


 1999
 128


 2000
 128


 2001
 112


 2002
 124



  (b) This information is not centrally held.

European Union

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is giving any direct material support to any organisation seeking to explore the consequences of EU enlargement for Scotland.

Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive economist group published a report into the consequences of EU Enlargement in 2002. This is available on the Scottish Executive website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/government/enlargement.pdf.

  Although we are not currently supporting any further work into this area, we will continue to review requests for support on a case by case basis.

Health

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the NHS has considered introducing the enrichment culture method test, found to be effective in screening for group B streptococcal infections in Europe and the United States of America, for all pregnant women.

Mr Tom McCabe: At present the UK National Screening Committee (NSC) has advised that there is no evidence to support the introduction of pregnancy screening for group B streptococcal infection. The NSC will review evidence when further health technology assessment research findings become available.

Homelessness

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take in the light of the findings and recommendations of the Pathfinder Inspection Report on East Lothian Council by Communities Scotland that "The Council delivers a poor homelessness service with major areas where improvement is needed" and "the prospects for improvement in the homelessness function are uncertain."

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Pathfinder Inspection Report on East Lothian Council by Communities Scotland, what role it has in ensuring "a fundamental shift in the council’s position" to meet current and future needs for permanent accommodation for homeless people.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Scottish ministers, acting through Communities Scotland, have requested that East Lothian Council produce an improvement plan, setting out how it will respond to the findings of the pathfinder inspection report. The plan is due to be submitted on 17 March 2004, eight weeks after the publication of the inspection report.

  Communities Scotland will then agree arrangements with the local authority for monitoring the implementation of the plan to ensure that the necessary improvements in the services for homeless people and those threatened with homelessness are achieved. Performance in this area will be reassessed within two years and a full re-inspection of the local authority will be carried out within five years.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what process is used when selecting service user and carer consultees and in selecting such representation on mental health working groups.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive adopts a range of processes when selecting service user consultees and in selecting such representation on working groups.

  Regarding consultation processes, the aim is always to ensure that we hear from as broad a range of people as possible, including those in "hard to reach" groups. Our efforts to do this include formal written consultation exercises; organisation and participation in events and road shows; and making use of existing networks, for example through NHS boards and voluntary organisations.

  Regarding selection for representation on working groups, we normally invite known organisations to nominate service users and carers who have appropriate experience and links to community networks. Consideration is always given to the support needs of individual service user and carer representatives, for example by ensuring reimbursement of appropriate expenses, and provision for a supporter to assist them where needed.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which service user and carer organisations and individuals have participated in mental health working groups since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: An extensive range of organisations have provided invaluable and insightful contributions to mental health working groups over recent years. There have also been contributions from individuals where those concerned have not been attached to an organisation or group.

  A review of all involvement since 1999 would incur disproportionate cost. However, the spread of contribution has been considerable and, as well as individuals, would include organisations such as:

  Advocacy Safeguards Agency

  Alzheimer Scotland – Action on Dementia

  Carers Scotland

  Consultation and Advocacy Promotion Service

  Disability Rights Association

  ENABLE

  Highland User’s Group

  Highland Community Care Forum

  National Schizophrenia Fellowship Scotland

  Scottish Association for Mental Health

  Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance.

Mental Health

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the outcomes from the short life working group on perinatal mental illness will be published and when the national assessment of mental health services will be completed and published.

Malcolm Chisholm: I am pleased to say that the outcome guidance for agencies on the planning and delivery of post-natal depression services will be published on 4  March. That guidance is of course a direct response to the provisions within the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 and will help agencies plan services and accommodation to allow mothers with a post-natal depression to be admitted to hospital accompanied by their babies.

  The interim report of Dr Sandra Grant’s National Assessment of Mental Health Services and 15 locality reports were published on 10 December 2003, (Bib. numbers 30239, 30221-30234 and 30236). The final report is published electronically today, (Bib. number: 31001). Hard copies will be available later this month.

  I welcome Dr Grant’s report and the recommendations made. The final report and its predecessors now provide a shared, current benchmark for all concerned in planning the steps to be taken jointly to achieve full implementation of the new act. I know the report will provide extra impetus to the work underway on the preparation by the agencies on their joint local implementation plans and to the underlying initiatives underway and planned on national mental health issues including those on workforce, equity and joint working.

  We will continue to work with NHS boards, with local authorities, the voluntary organisations and with users of services and carers in taking this agenda forward.

People with Disabilities

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available to organisations such as Disablement Income Group Scotland who provide advice to individuals making benefit applications.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Executive provides grant funding to voluntary sector organisations through a number of schemes. These are detailed in the Scottish Executive’s Guide for the Voluntary Sector to Scottish Executive Grants 2003-04, which is available from Scottish Parliaments Reference centre. Funding is generally available for activities that promote Scottish Executive objectives and for national infrastructure organisations and associated local networks to promote the growth and effectiveness of voluntary and community organisations.

Renewable Energy

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities preparing contracts for school building and refurbishment projects are allowed to specify that a form of renewable energy, such as wood chip, must be used in the central heating systems for the buildings concerned.

Mr Andy Kerr: It is a matter for local authorities to decide on the detail of their contracts. The EC public procurement directives provide scope for reflecting environmental considerations in procurement, where it is relevant to the subject matter of the contract or based upon environmental objectives of the public body concerned. Given that the current main investment in school buildings is through the public private partnerships procurement route and will involve a substantial amount of new build, the opportunity exists to deliver public services in a more environmentally friendly way.

School Curriculum

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to make more provision in the school timetable for the formal study of art and design.

Peter Peacock: The National Guidelines on Expressive Arts 5-14 give guidance on the provision of the curriculum for art and design. The guidelines on the structure and balance of the curriculum advise education authorities and schools that a minimum of 15% of a pupil’s time should be devoted to the expressive arts during the primary school years and over the first two years at secondary school. As the school curriculum in Scotland is non-statutory, it is for education authorities and schools to decide how to implement this advice, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their pupils.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why its published documents often do not contain a date of publication and whether steps are being taken to ensure that all publications include either a date of publication or dated ministerial forward.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive adheres to the standard publication conventions used by all publishers. This means that the publisher’s name and address, copyright statement and year of publication are all shown on the copyright page which is included at the front of all documents. Additionally, the month and year of each document is printed on the back of documents, together with the contractor’s reference number.

  Many of our publications already include the month and year of publication and we are currently in the process of rolling out this procedure to all of our documents.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of publishing, printing, distributing and launching Helping Homeless People: Delivering the Action Plan for Prevention and Effective Response .

Ms Margaret Curran: The cost of publishing and printing the Helping Homeless People: Delivering the Action Plan for Prevention and Effective Response was £3,274.28, which includes costs for web conversion. Distributing costs to date are £416.13, further copies maybe distributed on request. There were no additional costs associated with the launch of the document.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Presiding Officer, further to the answer to question S1W-28863 by Sir David Steel on 17 September 2002, what progress has been made in developing public transport options to ensure that there are easily accessible and affordable transport links to the new Parliament building.

Mr George Reid: The Parliament is responsible for providing the infrastructure to allow transport links to the site of the new building as part of the landscaping scheme and the convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has informed me that good progress has been made towards that. Provision has been made in the scheme for the inclusion of appropriately located bus stops, a disabled parking area on Horse Wynd, and a cycle rack close to the building. There will also be an extended taxi rank on the Canongate. Apart from particular routes, the City of Edinburgh Council has ultimate responsibility for public transport to all areas of the City. It would be a matter for the council and local bus companies to determine routes and timetables, as well as a pricing structure.